


And the cicada sang

by TCbook



Series: Entomology [1]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Hannibal Lecter - Freeform, Kind of angsty, M/M, They Are Kids, Will Graham - Freeform, robertus lecter - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 03:14:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15765456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TCbook/pseuds/TCbook
Summary: Will meets a new friend to be weird and together.





	And the cicada sang

**Author's Note:**

  * For [victorine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorine/gifts), [TigerPrawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerPrawn/gifts), [slashyrogue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashyrogue/gifts), [HotMolasses](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HotMolasses/gifts).



> Okay, a new little series, I really really hope you like this AU.  
> This is for my friends, they give me strength to keep doing everything and I could not be more grateful, they are the best.  
> Also they gave me awesome ideas for this short piece!
> 
> Many thanks to my beta @clearbluewater3 <3

Stick and stones might break your bones, grounds might also break some... Will Graham thought after jumping the fence of the garden next to the park. He had trying to catch a Dogbane Leaf beetle, and landed on his side, groaning at the pain and gasping when he saw he was not alone in the garden. There was a tall kid, not much older than him looking at him with big maroon eyes filled with panic, not making a sound.

Will moved to raise a hand slowly, making the other kid drop his watering can with a thud and dash behind a bush that barely hid his body. 

“I’m sorry! I’m not bad! I-I was trying to catch this, look.” Will said, approaching slowly to the slightly trembling frame of the other kid with one extended hand. Showing him a small lustrous green beetle to the other kid who looked at him more calmly now, his face changing to fascination of the little wiggling insect, a little smile tugging his lips showing pointy teeth. 

Will smiled back at him, pleased by finding someone so happy to see a catch like that. One earning a silent giggle form the other kid who now looked him right in the eyes. 

“I’m sorry, this little friend is very difficult to find, this one is going to be put in my collection.” Will shrugged when the other boy stood up and looked at the beetle more interestedly “My name is Will.”

The other kid opened his eyes a little more acknowledging him, maroon shining under the midday sun before he bowed like a prince, Will giggled at the gesture, and bowed back to him.

“What's your name?” Will asked putting the beetle inside its jar.

The tall kid eyes half masted with something like sorrow for a moment, his lips forming a straight line.

“You don’t have to tell me, it’s nice to meet you, sorry for trespassing.” At this the other kid gestured him with a little smile and his hands fluttering around a ‘don’t worry’.

Will liked bugs, liked getting to know them inside and outside. He had a big collection and studied them even at the tender age of ten. Scrapping and scrabbling every bit of knowledge he could find by himself while nourishing it with books about butterflies, beetles and more. His lonely weird world where he could be happy, where no one judged him, the same world that pushed him away from other kids made him fall in a one of a kind friendship. 

The next time they met Will went through the main door of the big house he had trespassed days before, happy to see how the expression of the older kid brightened when he saw him at the gate door. 

“Hello! I came to show you my books!” Will said from the heavy metal gate, watching how the tall kid ran from the house to the gate door to open it as he lifted the books and his satchel.

The house was big and cavernous, dark and lacking of furniture, no one else to be seen or heard inside the big house, they settled over the carpeted floor of what was going to be a sitting room. 

They found a way to communicate eventually, with signs and little notes in the very simple English the tall kid could write. 

Will showed him his books, filled with notes, studies and little drawings of the insects he had found in the past years, telling the boy that he kept one specimen of each for study. The other kid's eyes shone with emotion tracing the ink lines of the drawings in the worn and loved notebook, gesturing for a pen and asking if he could do something in Will's book. 

He drew a cicada, a perfectly detailed and sleek cicada almost as if taken out a photograph. 

“Wow! You can draw!” Will beamed almost slack jawed with awe, the other kid stood, going to one of the shelves taking a sketchbook and stretching it for Will to see. 

“Hannibal… Hannibal! That's your name?” Will said reading the beautiful handwriting at the first page of a notebook. 

Hannibal nodded, smiling at him wide enough to close his eyes. 

The book was filled with sketches, birds, flowers and bugs, moths and butterflies surrounding the same childish face of a girl being sketched every two or three pages. 

“Who is she?” Will asked pointing at the girl, Hannibal shook his head shifting the pages until he found a clean one and started drawing, not acknowledging Will who looked at him mirroring the sadness in his eyes, his “gift” singing through them; a sad lullaby that made him shiver for a second. 

“Oh” Will whispered following Hannibal's hands while he sketched another bug, a beetle this time; the same one Will had captured days before. 

Their meetings went from once or twice a week to daily, drawing, sharing and eating in the other's company. Will met the other occupant of the house, Robertus, Hannibal's uncle who received Will with a smile every time he was pressing his little body against the bars of the gate, waiting to go inside with his friend. 

Without a single word from Hannibal they still understood the other with ease, falling in a comfortable friendship for months. They missed each other when Will was at school, since Hannibal studied at home, this made them enjoy the time they shared during evenings a completely different world from the reality of loneliness Will had to deal at school. 

“Graham the bug boy! Graham no friends bug boy, weirdo Graham!” other kids chanted, while Will tried to get all his papers from the floor before they got dirty. 

“I have a friend! It's my best friend! We would beat you anytime!”

“Who would be friends with you? Maybe you are just imagining him, like when you talked about Winston.”

“Hannibal is real! Hannibal is real…” Will for a moment doubted himself, not believing in reality just for a second until he closed his eyes and remembered the feeling of the Lecter’s gate under his palms, the taste of their meals, the brightness of his maroon eyes every time they caught a new insect, he was real, but why? 

 

Will suggested they go to the closest field to catch more specimens for ‘their’ collection as he started to call it. Hannibal's drawings and his notes were fast becoming the entirety of his notebooks, delighted with every detail Hannibal gave to the anatomy drawings, the easy movements of his hands while writing the names of the beetles for Will to finish with the notes. 

***

Hannibal was waiting for him with a picnic basket at the gates of the forest park, extending his hand to Will to start their journey, uncle Robertus would come for them later that evening. They didn’t walk for too long, sharing the silence of the park, the sound of water running not so far from them, the wind moving the soft bangs over their foreheads and Hannibal never letting Will’s hand go.

Will asked himself how this could be real. 

After hours of catching bugs they settled over a blanket in a grass patch, enjoying the sun and the company during lunch, Hannibal brought sandwiches, perfectly made by himself with freshly squeezed juice and fruit.

Will heard the chants of the kids repeating in his head. 

“How can you be my friend?” Will asked mid sandwich, not willing to look at the twelve year old who stopped eating at the question, Will could feel his eyes looking at him with concern.

“You can’t talk… but you can do anything perfectly! Draw, learn, play, cook, how I’m supposed to reciprocate? Am I at your level? We are so different.” Will sighed. He swallowed the last corner of his sandwich managing to smile at the sun to avoid other feelings crowding his face. Hannibal looked sad, and Will knew it was was his fault. 

They walked silently to the gates of the park until Will felt the soft tug of a hand over the back of his shirt, Hannibal held in his hand a piece of paper, not bigger than a photograph, towards him, on it was a drawing of two shining fireflies in the dark. 

Hannibal didn't let go of his shirt, gesturing with his long fingers that the fireflies were them, shining in the dark together. 

Will felt the knot of feelings unravel like a rope dropping a bucket of water, his eyes filling with tears and his knees giving up, clutching the little drawing to his heart. 

In the immense silence of the forest around them the wind let a new sound get to Will's ears beside the roar of blood rushing through his ears. 

“Will.” He heard, his name is said softly from someone he had never heard a word from. 

Hannibal is kneeling with him over the leaves his angular face and boney knees almost touching his, Will looked at him, opening his eyes even more, Hannibal took the drawing away and held onto his hands, concerned eyes looking at Will. 

“You can talk!”

“You were crying…” 

Will is shaken by Hannibal's voice, it is soft, deep and accented, the force of it making Will fall over onto his ass and start laughing while the tears stroke his cheeks, Hannibal looked at him with confusion. 

“You are very confusing Will.” Hannibal said softly. 

Will started to laugh harder until he had to stop to breathe, rubbing his eyes to focus over the other kid who was now sitting beside him, waiting in silence. 

“I don't know why you are my friend Hannibal, but I'm glad you are.” Will felt the weight of Hannibal's head over his shoulder.

“I find you interesting.”

“Why?”

Will saw Hannibal leaning over, taking his hand in his pointing at the fireflies dancing together and then pointing at Will's forehead. 

Will smiled drying his tears with his sleeve. 

“Also you are a creepy bug boy.” Hannibal mumbled making Will burst into laughter. Will sees him approach but the peck on his right cheek was unexpected, making the laughter die in his throat and turn his face into a bright pink shade. 

“Hannibal!” Will squeaked, the sound echoing in the woods. 

The other kid retreated a little, young embarrassment tinting the points of his cheeks of red, lips pursing shut and wide eyes. 

Will stretched to get the other boy hands in his, trying to stop the wave of shame in the other boy who started to scramble to back off.

Will took his hand not letting Hannibal go. 

“I liked it.” His voice came out rushed, fearing that Hannibal would leave forever.

Hannibal nodded, sitting very still beside Will. 

Will let his head fall over Hannibal's shoulder and felt the kid relax with his touch until they heard the horn of Robertus’ car echo in the woods calling for them to come.

They let the other’s hand go just before leaving the woods, climbing inside the car with bright smiles and high hopes.

***

Will and Hannibal continued to share most of their evenings together, moons and summers passed over them, making the grasp of their hands clasping together stronger than any bond until their teen years.

Huddling under a blanket between the lights of the fireflies just beside the little stream they liked to visit, in the dark, Hannibal told Will a secret, his voice strangled with uncertainty and something that Will thought sounded like fear.

“I will go to Europe.” Will heard him say, not wanting to think Will leaned over the now bigger frame of Hannibal’s body.

“And when are you coming back?”

“I’m finishing high school there…”

“Oh.” Will circled his arms around the middle of the other boy, trying to hold him together as his voice sounded like he was going to fall into little pieces.

“I don’t want to Will, I tell you this was my uncle’s idea, I-” Hannibal said hurriedly.

“It’s ok, it’s ok Hannibal you have to go” Will said pressing his face against the soft wool of Hannibal’s sweater.

“But I don’t want to.” Will heard Hannibal’s voice break, suddenly sounding like a child, like the fragile thing that was scared and mute after a merciless life.

“I don’t want you to go too, but this is not about what we want.” Will tried to contain the sadness in his voice, to be strong for him, to show him everything is going to be alright, but he failed, his voice deep with unshed tears while looking at Hannibal with gleamy eyes.

“It is.” Hannibal whispered right in his ear, his voice a delicate soft purr. Before he leaned over Will, pressing their lips together for a moment, taking Will by surprise but he didn’t move away, closing his eyes for a second, focusing on the warmth of those lips and the sound of the nature around them.

The moment was over far too quickly...

Hannibal retreated, his face dimly illuminated by the shine of the fireflies dancing around them, making Will’s heart ache with the rapid thrum inside his chest, Will touched Hannibal’s face, feeling the hot stripes of tears against soft skin.

“Everything is going to be alright, I promise.” Will whispered with hope before closing the space and answering the kiss with one of his own.

**  
Parting was hard, making both kids ache all over after freshly shown feeling left their hearts raw and vulnerable. Friendship was only a small part of what they felt for each other.

Hannibal left with tears freely flowing while Will handed him the journal, the study of insects they did for years.

“You have to bring it back.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all liked it!!  
> Your comments make me very very happy. 
> 
> @tcbook Tumblr
> 
> @tc_book Twitter


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